The Difference Between Good and Evil
by Golden Pair
Summary: [S x YY]There is an ongoing war between the Angels and Demons. Caught inbetween are Yami, the son of the High Archangel and Seto, the son of the Devil. Can love bloom between immortal enemies?
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** The Difference Between Good and Evil

**Authors:** celestial-fire-angel and Chocolate-Obsessed

**Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh

**Pairings:** Seto x Yami

**Genre:** Romance, Angst, Drama

**Summary:** There is an on-going war between the Angels and Demons. Both sides are fighting for the right to influence the human world. Caught in-between are Yami, the son of the High Archangel and Seto, the son of the Devil. Can love bloom between immortal enemies?

**Author's Note 1**: Hi everyone! This is a joint account for Chocolate-Obsessed and myself celestial-fire-angel.. We thought it would be fun to write a fic together and using our superior intellectual thinking /cough/Lie/cough/ we came up with this story. It was really fun brainstorming what would happen and hopefully you'll like it! Let's see if people can tell our writing styles apart from one another…/smiles/ Now I'll turn it over to Chocolate-Obsessed…

**Author's Note 2**: Alrighty then. Finally, us two losers actually started, and completed, an idea. It's turning out to be really interesting/whispers/ I wonder if they can figure out who did what part. Anywhoooooooo... writing notes at one am is really hard... I hope it's fun to read, it was fun to write, lots of action, suspense, romance...well, maybe not that last one... /evil laugh/ but maybe.../smile/ Is there anything else/thinks/ no-oooooooo... right, so why are you reading this when you could be reading this fic.

Oh and for future references, Author's Note 1 celestial-fire-angel and of course Author's Note 2 Chocolate-Obsessed but I'm sure everyone figured that out…shutting up now…

**Disclaimer:** How many times do we have to say this? We don't own Yu-Gi-Oh…it pwns us.

* * *

**Chapter One:**

_The scent of blood was everywhere. The field was littered with the dead and dying, all victims of a long dispute between the forces of good and evil. The sound of metal striking metal, the explosions, and the screams of the freshly wounded and newly dead echoed across the battlefield. White feathery wings and black leathery ones clashed in a dangerous and deadly tango on a dance floor painted in the crimson blood of countless beings. And in a corner, huddling in a frightened ball, was a small child with tri-colored hair. His small white wings were wrapped around his body, as if trying to shield him from the horrors of the battle before him._

_"Yami!" a voice called out. The small shivering mass folded his wings and, looked up. "Are you alright? What are you doing out here?"_

_"Mama?" Yami said._

_"Go back, Yami," his mother said urgently._

_"But Mama" Yami began._

_"Go!" his mother said. A shadow fell over them both._

_"So this is the High Archangel's son."_

_Yami's mother turned around, brandishing her sword. "Stay away from him, you filth," she said._

_"You wound me with your words," the demon said, large black wings folded against his body. "Can you teach an Innocent One to hate so early in his life?"_

_"I am teaching him to hate those like yourself," Yami's mother spat. She charged forward with her sword, wanting to drive the metal deep into the demon's chest._

_"You forget who you are dealing with!" the other said, easily sidestepping the attack. He raised a hand high above the female angel._

_"Mama!" Yami called. "Look out!" He tried to run to his mother's side but a blinding flash stopped him. Shielding his eyes with small hands, Yami cringed. When the light was gone, Yami looked back to see his mother crumpled on the ground, the demon nowhere in sight. "Mama!"_

_Yami ran to his mother, large crimson eyes quickly filling with tears. "Mama! Mama!" he cried, shaking the fallen form._

_"Yami, are you alright?" Yami's mother asked quietly. Her once beautiful white wings were now spattered in blood, her own blood._

_Yami nodded, the crystalline tears streaming down his cheek. "Mama, you're bleeding," Yami said, reaching out to touch one of her wings._

_Yami's mother smiled. "I don't have much time, my son," she said. "Hurry, go home and tell your father what happened."_

_"But you'll be here alone," Yami said. "I don't want to leave you."_

_"Hush," Yami's mother said. "It's not safe here. I'll be alrightgo" She reached up to caress her son's cheek, smiling through the pain that wracked her body. "I love youYami" Two tears escaped from his mother's eyes as they closed, her hand falling lifelessly to the ground._

_"Mama, get up!" Yami said, shaking his mother. "Mama!"_

_"MAMA!_"

"Mama!" Yami awoke with a start, chest heaving. He sat up and placed a hand on his forehead, feeling the sweat. "A dream..." His hand went automatically to his ear, touching the one thing he had left of his mother; an earring he had taken before he was teleported home. It was in the shape of a teardrop although instead of a rounded design, it was angular, much like a kite, and it was cut from a single diamond.

"Yami, are you alright?"

Yami turned to see his brother staring at him with large purple eyes, a worried expression on the childish face. Nodding, Yami stood up. "What are you doing here, Yugi?" he asked.

"Father asked me to come looking for you," Yugi said, standing up and brushing imaginary dirt from his robes.

Sighing, Yami ran a hand through his crimson, black and gold hair. "What does he want?" he asked, closing his ruby eyes, his dream still vivid behind his eyelids.

He had been dreaming about his mother's death again. Ten years ago, when he was six, Yami had wandered into the area where the angels and demons were fighting. Being six years old, he had no idea what was going on, except that the loud noises and screams were scaring him. His mother had found him huddling and told him to get back home. Of course Yami didn't listen, like he was prone to do. And the end result was.

Shaking his head, Yami's eyes opened to look at the large waterfall nearby. It's crystal clear water rushing over the side to land in a large pool at the base of it. The surface of the water sparkled, lit afire by the warm sun beating down upon it. Feeling the need to cleanse, Yami stripped off his white robe, letting it flutter to the ground, landing in a heap of shimmery cloth. Stepping into the water, Yami submerged himself, letting the coolness envelope him.

Resurfacing, Yami flipped his hair from his face, creating an arc of water in the air. Sighing, Yami treaded water, floating on his back, his wings spread out beneath him, giving him extra buoyancy. Staring up at the permanently blue sky, Yami scooped up a handful of water and splashed it on his face. "Yugi, is something wrong? You seem unhappy," Yami said, turning to look at his brother.

Yugi sat on the bank, staring into the water. "Father's planning to send you out there," Yugi said quietly. He dipped his fingers into the water, scooping out a handful to stare into it. Large purple eyes stared back at him, a sad expression reflected within them.

"I knew this day would come," Yami said, closing his eyes.

"You could be killed, Yami! Don't you care?" Yugi asked. "That's how Mother got killed, or don't you remember?"

"Of course I remember, I was there," Yami said.

"Then you'll ask Father to let you stay here," Yugi protested.

Yami frowned and tread water again, staring at his brother. "Yugi, I have to go," Yami said firmly.

"I don't want you to be killed too!" Yugi screamed, "I don't want to lose anyone else!"

Yami nodded, "I understand," he said simply and lay on his back and started to float again, letting his mind drift along with his body until he felt that he had enough. Submerging himself again, Yami reveled in the feel of the water for a moment longer before he surfaced again. Hoisting himself from the water, Yami slipped on his robes without drying his body and spread his wings, shaking them slightly to dry them off a little bit.

Yugi was instantly at his side, tugging on his arm. "So you'll talk to Father about not going?" he asked, hopeful.

"No," Yami said.

"But Yami" Yugi began.

"Stop it, Yugi," Yami ordered, his tone growing ever more serious. "I'm going if Father wishes me to go. They need me, Yugi." He pulled his arm from Yugi's grip and stopped walking. Spreading his wings, Yami took flight, leaving his brother to stare after him, not seeing the pained expression on Yugi's face.

Yami loved the feeling of wind rushing against his face, blowing his hair out of the way. His wings flapped occasionally to keep him aloft, letting loose a couple of feathers. He watched as the escaped feathers floated lazily to the ground below, each one snow white with a silverish sheen where the sun struck them. Turning his attention back to the scenery ahead of him, Yami saw a tall building in the distance; his house. Since his father was the highest-ranking Archangel, naturally, they lived in the tallest structure.

As he neared his home, Yami slowed down his speed and descended onto a balcony. Folding his wings against his back, Yami walked through the open door and back into his room. He was immediately greeted by his father's advisor, who asked him to follow and led him out of the room into the hallway. Navigating various corridors, Yami soon found himself outside the meeting room.

"He's waiting," the advisor said, giving Yami a little push.

Yami sighed and lifted a hand to knock, rapping his knuckles against the door. "Enter," came the gruff order. Opening the door, Yami stepped inside to find his father reading his daily report from the frontlines.

"Father," he greeted, bowing his head.

"Yami," Yami's father said, looking up. "You know why I called you here, don't you?"

"Yes, Father," Yami said.

"Good, then your training will begin immediately," his father said.

"But I already received my training," Yami said.

"This is advanced training, Yami," his father said, standing up and walking to where his son stood. "It will prepare you for battle against the demons."

"I thought"

"That was basic training. If I sent you out there with only that as your training, you wouldn't last one minute." Moving to stand beside his son, Yami's father placed a gentle hand on the young angel's shoulder. "Go now, your instructor is waiting."

Yami nodded and turned to go. "Your mother would be proud," his father said after him.

"I know," Yami said, pausing for a moment before heading back out the door.

Outside in the hallway, an older angel was waiting for him. Yami took a deep breath before following the other towards the training grounds.

Training should've lasted for six months; brutal, back-breaking training that would tax any angel mentally, physically, emotionally. But, Yami was different. It took him six weeks to finish the entire run of the training course, and he didn't even break a sweat. No doubt it was impressive to his teachers, they were confident that he would be the one to end the war with the demons and bring peace to all realms.

Yami wasn't scared when they told him to be ready for battle in a week. Apparently, the higher officials had intercepted material that showed exactly where the demon army would be, exactly what they were planning. The angels were going to meet them there, head-on, and take out as many demons as they could. Yami would be right up in front.

Yugi was hysterical. The day before the battle, he was sitting on Yami's bed, pleading with him to not leave.

"Yami, _please_ don't do this," Yugi begged.

"I have to, it's my duty," Yami said. Yugi scooted closer to Yami, tears building up in his large purple eyes. Yami turned and faced his brother. "You want this war to end, don't you?"

"Of course, but I don't...I don't want you to die."

Yami smiled sadly. "I won't die."

Yugi didn't believe it for a second, but he smiled anyways. "Promise?"

Yami nodded. "Promise."

There was a knock at the door and another angel stepped into the room. "Excuse me," he said. "Your presence is required in the tactics room."

"Alright, I'll be there in a moment," Yami said. The angel bowed and left. "Yugi, you should go to your room, relax. Don't worry about me, I can take care of myself."

Yugi nodded solemnly and got off of the bed. "Yami," he said, while walking to the door. "Just be careful. I want you back in one piece."

Yami heard the door click closed and sighed. He had less than one day until he went to battle, and he would spend it getting prepped with strategy. Well, it had to be done.

Yami walked along the white marble hallways. The dull thump of his sandals reverberated through his head. He came up to the room and stopped outside of the door. He was going to war.

The wind blew fiercely on the realm that paralleled the mortal dimension. It was the only place the angels and demons could fight, neither could set foot on the other's home turf. The angels waited on the grass, the silence that blanketed the army was deafening. Yami waited among the ranks, clad in armor and wielding a long, thin sword. He held the vigil as well as he could, thinking over the plan again. Since he had mastered the advanced techniques of their kind so quickly, he was going to be the one that led the battle. His stomach turned, but he willed it down by watching his breathing.

The first demon he saw was tall and had dark brown hair. He wore no armor, instead donned only a long black kilt with his chest bare. Yami's keen eyes spied a black necklace that reached down to the demon's stomach with a pendant of the Devil's crest. This demon walked up past the horizon and raised one hand to stop the massive army behind him. His thin black bat wings spread behind him,(get rid of it) in what was supposed to be a threatening gesture. Yami walked out in front of his army, and the demon glared at him.

"Demon," Yami cried. "You may go no further."

The demon was silent and drew his sword from its sheath, pointing the end of the black blade at Yami. Without any other instruction, the demon army charged, and Yami commanded his troops to do the same. They clashed in a thunderous sound of metal on metal. The melee had begun.

Yami engaged many of the demons, slicing and hacking their bodies into a mangled, almost unrecognizable mess. They would run at him, and he would dodge and skewer them on his sword, or deflect the blow and reduce them to a kneeling position, where he would slice his blade through the soft tissue of their necks, beheading them. He had no need for the magic his teachers had showed him, the sword was working just fine. He paused for a second as it seemed that he was in a circle of inaction and looked around as he huffed from the exertion. All around him, angels and demons were fighting brutally, both of them dying by the other's hand. The field was stained red with the blood of many. He looked down at his own clothes, previously a pristine white, they had been turned into a color that matched his eyes. A thought occurred to him, one he immediately banished from his mind.

_Why are we doing this?_

The angels were fighting for righteousness, for peace. The demons were keeping them from that goal, only wanting to bring upon the human race a destruction that would see no end. They were fighting for peace, for peace. Yami kept telling himself that, but as he looked around him and saw death in a full 360 degrees, he couldn't help but see the irony in it. Fighting for peace. Killing...for peace. He thought about his mother, and the cause that she had sacrificed her life for. It only helped him justify the murder playing before his eyes a little.

He spotted the leader of the demon army a ways away, staring at him intently. No one tried to take him down, they all fought around him. He was in his own circle of inaction. He unfolded his arms that were crossed over his chest and started walking towards Yami. He parted the fighters as if some force-field was surrounding him, and no one could penetrate it. Instantly, Yami felt his stomach flip again. The demon was coming toward him because he was going to fight. And with Yami's sudden revelation against fighting, he wasn't sure he could last. Yugi flashed through his mind; his sweet little brother, whom he promised to return to. Promised, and he would not go back on his promise. He stood up straight and waited bravely for the demon commander to reach him.

Yami could feel the intensity the demon was sending his way. He was focused completely on whatever mission he was given, and Yami could tell that he was either going to complete his mission, or die trying. And failure was not an option for him. Yami would not let his opponent see his fear, he took a deep breath and stared back at the approaching demon.

The demon got within Yami's dimensional freeze and stopped. "So you command the angels. You seem a little young for the position, the other officers I killed were graying in their beards." He smirked. Yami felt disgusted by the demon's lack of emotion.

"You will not kill me," Yami said quietly. He raised his sword and lunged at the demon, who quickly teleported behind Yami.

"Come now, we're a little more mature than to be playing around with sharp pieces of metal," the demon said, raising his hand and summoning a ball of dark energy. He threw the black ball at Yami, who barely had time to dodge it and counter with a burst of light energy. It grazed the demon on the shoulder, but, to Yami's dismay, hardly caused him to cringe.

The demon shot another beam of energy at Yami, who blocked it by summoning a white rune. The magic of the rune came from the earth's energy, so Yami could hold it as long as necessary without feeling the effects of wielding such powerful magic. After a while, the demon had to cease his beam, and Yami attacked with one of the most powerful spells he could think of. It drained him just to summon it, but there was no way the demon could block it. Yami's hair started to fly about him wildly and his robes whipped around his body. A large white mass of energy appeared in his outstretched hands and grew enormously. When finally Yami could hold it no longer, the energy flew out of his hands and straight at the demon. It engulfed the demon completely, but that wasn't good enough for Yami. He held it until his knees started to get weak and he could no longer hold himself up. The energy stopped and he fell to the ground (and) panting, looking at the devastation his spell had caused to the ground and lead to the intended target. He glanced up and his heart stopped.

The demon was kneeling on one knee with his hand up in a defensive position. He wasn't even out of breath. He took one look at the state Yami was in and smirked. He casually got up and wiped the dirt off of his kilt, before looking back up at Yami. Yami didn't even perceive movement on the demon's part, but all of the sudden, the demon was standing above him with his neck in a tight hold. Yami opened his mouth and a pathetic squeak escaped, his hands immediately went up to try and pry the demon's thin, cold fingers from around his neck, but he wasn't strong enough. He doubted that even if he was at full strength if he could get out of that vice-like grip. He was not going to die like this, he couldn't die at all. He had to go back to Yugi. A small part of Yami smiled masochistically, _well, _he thought,_ at least I'll be going back in one piece._

It seemed the demon liked to play with his catch before killing it, because he let Yami go. Yami crumpled on the ground and took large gulps of air to replenish his body. He didn't have much time though, because the demon yanked Yami's shoulder and flipped him over so that his back was flat on the ground. He breathed deeply and watched the clouds pass in the sky. _What strange things pass through your mind when you're about to die,_ he thought. The clouds were suddenly the most interesting things in the world. He felt the demon sit on his mid-section and heard a dagger being freed of its sheath. The demon positioned a hand underneath Yami's neck and pulled ferociously up. Yami was face-to-face with the demon that was going to kill him, and yet the only observation he made was about how the demon's eyes were as blue as the sky above them. Yami wanted to cry, but couldn't. The tears were stuck, and he couldn't push them out.

The demon pulled the dagger back, ready to plunge it deep into Yami's throat.

"I don't want to fight anymore," Yami whispered. He closed his eyes and waited for the blow.

It never came.

Yami ventured to open his eyes. The demon was staring wide-eyed at him, frozen in space with his arm still angled in a way that was meant for the most force to be included in the blow.

Yami's brow furrowed in confusion. Why did the demon stop?

All of the sudden, the demon let go of Yami's head, letting it drop on the ground. He got off of Yami and backed away, still looking at Yami as if Yami had grown an extra head. Yami got painfully up to a standing position and cautiously took his sword back, but the will to fight was gone. He pointed one finger up into the sky and sent out the retreat flare, looking up at it's sparkling white brilliance. The flare burst out into many tiny bits and fell back to the earth, and all the demons and angels stopped fighting and looked inquisitively at it. Immediately, the angels around Yami started disappearing, teleporting back to Heaven. The only one that was taught the retreat flare was the commanding officer, so they had to follow it.

Yami stayed longer than necessary. Once he sent up the flare, it was every angel for themselves. But he stayed to make sure that they all got out safely. The demon commander never broke eye contact with Yami and never tried to finish what he had started. They just stared at each other.

Yami was starting to feel uncomfortable underneath the icy blue gaze of his enemy, the rest of the demon army long forgotten. When every one of the angels had reported back in safe, Yami spread his wings out and closed his eyes. He could still feel the other one watching him. He lifted his head toward the sky and, in one swift movement, wrapped his wings around himself and disappeared in a flurry of white feathers.

Inside the comfort of his wings, he sped through time and space to reach Heaven. He felt the feathers brush against his face, and for the first time, he felt the wounds the demon had given him. He could feel blood seep out from cuts on his arms, legs, torso, even his face. He breathed in and felt his ribs protest in pain. The back of his head throbbed, more than likely from being dropped on the ground. But the physical was nothing compared to the beating that his confidence had taken. He wasn't sure about this war anymore. He couldn't see the greater purpose it was for. It seemed like the people who were fighting it had forgotten why they were fighting, and continued the war just because they knew no better.

Yami sighed and opened his eyes just as he made an unceremonious landing on the steps of his house. He was slipping in and out of consciousness, but had just enough will left to see Yugi run up to him and scream something. Then all faded into darkness.

**Author's Note 1:** Well how was it? Was it an 'okay' first chapter? Believe it or not, Chocolate-Obsessed and I spent a lot of time discussing what would happen and planning everything out. Was it worth it? Please let us know!

**Author's Note 2: **Review and make us happy losers?

**Arigatou Gozaimashita!**


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note 1: Hi everyone. Sorry it's taken us so long to get this chapter out but we had some trouble thinking of what to put into it. And we flip flopped on who should write what...but we worked it out and we finally are able to present it to you. Not to mention that we were also busy with schoolwork and stuff like that so we didn't have any time to write it. I'm sure all of you want to read the story now so let's keep this note short...hope you enjoy it!

Author's Note 2: You lie! We never flip flopped on who should write what...we just flip flopped on what should be written. But it's all good now! And I have nothing to say, so read.

**Chapter Two**

Hell is not only fire and brimstone. It is called home to those that are born there. The demons of the underworld live comfortable lives, yet they are ever in a ready state to be sent out into battle with the angels.

The blue-eyed demon was no exception. And he was very good at leading his troops. He could be woken up in the middle of sleep and be forced into battle without being the least bit tired. But his drive was slowly being weakened.

He returned to Hell slightly confused at what had happened on the battle field that day. Everything was going along nicely, he had even engaged the highest ranking angel, but he stopped. Right before the killing stroke, he had stopped. The demon shook his head and continued walking down the thin corridor to his home.

"How did it go, Seto?" The blue-eyed demon, Seto, shivered as he turned around to face his father.

"They retreated. We killed about half of their troops, they will be hurting for a while," Seto replied.

"Did you kill any of them when they were teleporting? They're especially vulnerable when they teleport," Seto's father asked.

"I..." Seto didn't know what to say. He couldn't tell his father that he had frozen up, that would earn him some sort of less than savory punishment. Though, this was the first time ever that he failed to take advantage of an opportunity, so maybe it wouldn't be that bad. "No, I didn't. But I'm sure that the others did."

His father opened his mouth to say something, but someone from inside a room called out to him, and he left without a second glance at Seto.

The demon sighed and turned around, only wanting to be alone in his room. He planned on going over the battle again in his mind to see why he had stopped, and try to justify it so he didn't feel so wretched. That angel... what did he do to the demon? The question was eating Seto alive. What did he do? What did he do?

Seto almost ran to the door when he spotted the main entrance to his house. The corridor he was walking through gave way to an enormous cave, the middle of Hell, and in the center, balanced dangerously on a pillar of rock over a large lava-pit, was a majestic house.

Seto quickly opened the heavy black doors of the house and walked directly to his room. There, he laid down on his bed and closed his eyes, even though he wasn't tired. From then on, he replayed the fight in his mind. He saw the angel in his white robes, the sword, the magic, the power that the angel possessed. It was difficult deflecting the final attack the angel made, Seto had to actually rip the fabric of that dimension so that the attack missed him completely. Luckily for Seto, he had mastered that type of magic long before and could easily summon it.

The replay became more detailed as he reached the end. Seto willed it so that he could see the exact moment when his hand stalled and the angel walked away. He saw the angel struggling to get out of his grip and fall to the ground when he let go. Saw the angel's chest heave with the deep breaths he took. Felt himself turn the angel around and sit on him, pulling the dagger out for the kill. Seto felt the adrenaline rush he felt then when he pulled the dagger out. It was exhilarating. He felt his lungs take in deeper breaths, and all he could hear was the pounding of his heartbeat. But there, underneath his body, the angel whispered something. He focused on it, and barely heard "I don't want to fight anymore." The angel resigned and actually accepted the fate he was given. But this wouldn't stop Seto. If the angel was prepared to die, then it would only be right for Seto to help him on his way. Why did he stop?

Seto sat up in bed and frowned. Something was wrong with him. He wouldn't have stopped, he shouldn't have stopped. But he did. He brought a hand up and ran it through his hair. There was not going to be an easy answer to this question. Or maybe there was and he just didn't want to accept it. The easy answer was that he was tired of the war too. He didn't want to fight anymore either.

Seto stood up and started pacing around his room. He couldn't accept that answer. Never before had he gone against all that he was raised to believe, at least, never on the big facts of life. And there was no reason. Why would he question it now?

He growled. It was the angel's fault. Somehow the angel was controlling him. Seto couldn't believe that. He was stronger than to fall for mind tricks. No, it was all on him. And once he accepted the idea, he knew it had begun far before the red-eyed angel had ever entered his life. There was just something wrong with the war.

So what was the demon's next move? He couldn't go back to war, but he couldn't stay home, that would look suspicious. If the war would just end already...

That was it. He would stop the war. But he couldn't do it alone. As much as his ingrained hatred for the angels went against this plan, he would need the help of the particular angel that caused his epiphany. This plan was getting more and more complicated as the seconds passed. He would need to contact the angel somehow. He wasn't even sure if that was possible, but it never hurt to try.

Inspired, Seto walked over to the book shelf and used a bit of magic to quickly search all his books for any mention of angels. Most of them he discarded because they referred to angels only in the sense of how to kill them, and to Seto's chagrin, none of them contained anything on how to contact them. Seto stopped for a second and thought. He could not enter Heaven and walk around trying to find the angel, so he would have to find a way that his corporeal body wouldn't be there, just his spirit. He would have to find some way that he could link with the angel's mind. Seto thought long and hard, his brow furrowing more and more as he thought harder.

Dreams. He could do it through dreams. It was a common tactic for demon communication, and one that had been used on him when he would be woken up for battle. Seto had no clue if he could connect with an angel, but there was only one way to find out. Before he would try though, he decided to brush up on how to do it. Rarely had he ever had to use it on someone else, mostly he was the receiver. He sighed as he turned around to the bookself once more and did a search for dream communication. A few books flew to him and he nimbly caught them, taking them to a nearby seat and sitting down to start reading.

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Yami awoke to bright lights streaming into the room and had to squint his eyes against it. Groaning as he shifted, he looked around quickly, momentarily forgetting where he was until he remembered the familiar furnishings of his own room.

"You're awake."

Yami turned his head to see his brother staring at him, worry filling those large purple eyes. He nodded and let out a small smile.

"How long have I been asleep?" he asked. His throat was sore, so the question came out more of a whisper.

"Two days," Yugi answered.

Yami struggled to sit up, his whole body was sore but he noticed that all his wounds had disappeared.

"Don't move so much," Yugi said, hurrying to help his brother by placing a pillow behind the injured angel.

"I'm fine," Yami said, relaxing.

"It didn't look like it when you first came back," Yugi said. "It was horrible…all those cuts and they were bleeding so much. The healers said it was a miracle you came away with just those wounds, it could've been much worse."

"It could have," Yami muttered, his mind flashing to the fight with the demon. The demon had been very strong, so strong that he was able to withstand one of his most powerful attacks.

"Yami?"

Yami turned his head towards his brother. "What is it?" he asked.

Yugi was silent for a moment, biting his lower lip to stall asking his question before he blurted. "What happened between you and the demons?"

"What do you mean?" he asked. There was a lot that happened…

"Why are you…alive?" Yugi asked.

Yami was slightly taken aback by this question. Yes, why did the demon commander spare him? Weren't they both enemies and weren't they supposed to kill each other? Yami wished he knew the answer. "I…I don't know," he said truthfully. "It was strange."

"A demon would never let an angel escape," Yugi said.

"That is true," Yami said, thinking back. "He seemed almost hesitant…but why?" Closing his eyes, he let out a deep breath.

"Are you tired Yami?" Yugi asked.

"A little."

"I'll let you sleep, then," Yugi said. He stood up and took his older brother's hand, squeezing it gently before letting go. "I'm glad you kept your promise," the younger one whispered before leaving the elder sibling alone.

Yami could feel the exhaustion that seeped into his brain start to affect the rest of his body. The last conscious thought was about the blue-eyed demon. Why did he spare me? In moments, Yami was sound asleep again.

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Whether Yami had been asleep for half an hour, or half the night, he wasn't aware, but after a few pointless dreams, everything went black. Rather than feeling like he was in a dream, floating around and watching figures go through a play, he felt like he was completely awake. Possibly because he could feel the injuries from the last battle. Yami wondered where he was; not exactly floating, but not solidly on ground either, suspended in a black room. Not that it was dark; no, Yami could see barriers, they were just painted black. It was very strange.

Yami looked around on either side, but still saw nothing but the black emptiness. He was alone. And apparently waiting for something. What it was he couldn't guess, he had never seen a room like this before. He turned completely around, and gasped quietly. The flight response geared up inside his body.

Lined up with the wall in front of Yami, was a statue. Not a statue of just anyone either. Sitting there on the low, stone throne, was a perfect representation of the demon that had almost killed him. Realizing it was only a statue, Yami let out a sigh and walked toward it. That was a curious thing to be put into Yami's dream, or whatever it was. Yami lifted a hand, brushing his fingertips along the demon's cheek and confirming it was made out of stone. But the moment his fingertips left the cheek, color started flooding into the statue. The skin faded from the cold, dark grey stone color into one that was more suitable for skin. The hair gained a more earthly color, and the blue seeped into his eyes. Yami was paralyzed, able to do nothing but watch the statue turn into something that could easily dispose of him.

The statue of the demon wasn't fully realized until Yami spotted the light in the eyes. It was like consciousness had fully seeped into the body, as the coloration had. Yami saw the demon takes it's first breath, and then appear to see the angel standing there in horror. The demon raised his hand and studied it.

"That was strange," he commented.

The moment that demon spoke, Yami's eyes widened and his mind raced. He needed to do something to protect himself. Without thinking, he focused an orb of energy in his hand, forcing it to grow slowly until the time when he would release it.

The demon glanced over at Yami and closed his eyes, sighing. Yami felt that his time had come and he threw the energy at the demon. He moaned as he saw the demon wave his hand and instantly dispel the magic. What was this place? The demon stood up and stepped down off of the platform the chair was on, but Yami didn't let him get any further. Yami brought forth another ball of energy and threw it at the demon. Yet another disappointment. Again the energy disappeared in front of the demon, who, in an act remarkably similar to the first time they met, teleported over to where Yami stood and grabbed the angel's wrists, tugging them high into the air.

"Now, now, play nice. You don't want to get beat again, do you?" The demon said.

Yami struggled to get out of the demon's grip, but to no avail. The demon held Yami steadfast.

"Not like you could do anything, this place is my creation," the demon continued. "But, I promise not to kill you when we're in here, I have something much more important than that to discuss. Can I let you go without you causing anymore disruptions?"

Yami glared into the demon's eyes and struggled fruitlessly one more time. When he could not shake the demon, his shoulders sagged in defeat and he sighed, nodding once. The demon released his wrists. Yami felt the adrenaline rushing through his system, making his blood pressure rise and his legs feel weak.

"Who...who are you?" Yami asked.

The demon took a step back. "I am Seto. Son of the Devil. I am one of the highest ranking generals of Hell's army."

That made Yami feel great about the position he was in. Why would one of this demon's position want a meeting with Yami?

"And though I called you into this place," Seto continued. "I have no idea who you are. Other than you are of some high rank like myself," Seto added.

"My name is Yami," he said. "And, I guess I'm a general." He was still wary of this demon, so he made sure he didn't tell too much. There was no guarantee that he wouldn't get killed in this...place.

"Are you high on the ladder? Because if you're not, then I have no need for you," Seto said.

Yami hesitantly took a step back. "How can I trust that you won't kill me?" He asked.

The demon seemed to think this over. "I guess you can't. Just know that I could've killed you before, and chose not to," Seto said.

A light flashed on in Yami's head, there was a question that had been bothering him. "Why did you spare me that day on the field? You seemed so intent on killing me, and then you just stopped."

The demon looked thoughtfully into the distance. His shoulders slumped, like a heavy weight had been placed on them. "Have you ever felt like a tool? Something to be used to further a purpose that not even the user knows?" He said quietly. Slowly, his cold gaze found it's way back to Yami, which sent chills up the angel's spine.

"Like a marionette," Yami said. Of course he had felt that way, it was one of the reasons he hated the war. "Someone behind the scenes pulling at my strings. Pulling blindly."

"Exactly," Seto said. He wasn't smiling, but something in his eyes had changed, they looked happy. "That makes us have something in common, and that is why I didn't kill you. I want you to help me."

"But how? I can't do anything, I only just became a general," Yami said, biting his lip for telling too much. The demon only looked at him.

"It'll do," he said. "Honestly, I have no clue what to do either. I know I can talk to a couple of...loyal...followers, but I can only stall. This is where I need you. You need to figure out way to stop it."

"Me? Why me? You were the one who called me here, this is all your idea," Yami said.

"But you were the one who started this," the demon said to Yami in a raised voice.

"That was very mature," Yami replied, a smirk forming on his features.

"Just do it, or else the next time we meet in battle I will kill you," Seto said. He turned around and walked back to his seat. The demon gave one last look to Yami and then sat down, and the room they were in started to disappear.

Before the two in the room fully disappeared, Yami smirked. "You can try," he mouthed to the demon. The demon saw and raised up his right hand. Yami squinted to see what Seto was doing, and the moment he saw a trickle of blood come down the demon's palm, he felt his own hand being cut. He looked down and saw a thin slice open up on his palm, getting bigger as the room disappeared.

"Lest you forget," Yami heard the demon's voice in his head, and the entire room disappeared.

------------------------

"BASTARD!" Yami screamed, bolting up in bed.

"Yami?"

Yami turned to see Yugi staring at him with wide purple eyes. "Is something wrong?"

Shaking his head, Yami lay back down, taking a deep breath. "It's nothing," he said.

"Are you sure?" Yugi asked. "You were mumbling and twitching in your sleep."

"I'm sure." Yami didn't want to lie to Yugi but he didn't want his little brother to worry so much about him. Yugi was still young and innocent, not yet ready to be brought into cruel reality. "Did anyone come in?"

"Just Father," Yugi answered. "He wanted your report…"

"Ah." _Damn that demon! What was his name? Seto? Damn Seto! _Yami clenched his hands into fists but a burning sensation in his right hand made him relax. Looking down, he saw the cut. "It was only a dream though…"

"A dream?" Yugi asked, sitting closer. "What kind of dream was it?"

"Nothing important," Yami said. He moved to sit up, using his hands to hold himself up for a moment. Wincing, he took the pressure off his right hand, the cut reminding him of what Seto had said.

Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he pushed himself up to stand. "Where's Father?" he asked.

"In his study," came the answer. "But you shouldn't be moving right now…your body hasn't completely healed yet."

"It's fine."

"No!" Yugi moved to grab Yami's right arm. "Don't force yourself, Yami."

"I have to go give my report," Yami said. "Let go, Yugi."

"No!"

Turning around, Yami lifted his left hand and placed it on top of Yugi's head. "I'm fine," he said. "The healers did a good job."

"But…"

"You know it's my duty as a general in the army to report," Yami said firmly. "Now let go."

Slowly, Yugi loosened his grip on Yami's arm, head bowed. "I know," he said quietly. "But I don't want to lose you like I did Mom."

"We already went over this, Yugi. You won't."

Sighing, Yugi nodded. "I'll wait here," he said. His eyes looked to the floor but something red caught his eyes. He could see a cut on his brother's palm that looked fresh. _But didn't the healers heal everything?_ Yugi thought. "Yami."

"Yes, Yugi?"

Grabbing Yami's right hand, Yugi looked up at his brother, purple clashing with crimson. "What's this?" he demanded, showing Yami the cut.

Yami's eyes widened for a moment. He hadn't wanted anyone else to know what he and Seto were planning. "It's just a cut," he said.

"But you didn't have it before…how did you get it?" Yugi asked.

"It's just a small scratch, nothing to worry about," Yami said, trying to play it off. "I have to go now."

He pulled his hand from Yugi and almost ran out of the room. Leaning against the door, Yami expelled a deep breath. _He can't know…he'll never approve. I'm sorry, Yugi, but I'm doing this for the good of both sides. _Standing firmly, Yami glanced at the door one more time before making his way to his father's study.

Author's Note 1+2: Review please. We'll try not to make the wait so long, but no guarantees.


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